Riding Shotgun with Nada Surf

ow do I love Nada Surf? I love them like a summer's day. I love them like I love the sunrise in the morning. I love rock'n'roll, with Nada Surf being the rock'n'roll. I have listened to my copy of the album "Let Go" so much that it no longer plays properly. In a world full of faceless, similarly named bands, Nada Surf has remained the real thing. The genuine article. The band that those other bands wish they were. For over ten years Nada Surf has been showing the rest of the music world how it's done, somehow improving with age. It pretty much doesn't get any better, folks. And happily, one-third of one of my favorite bands, drummer Ira Elliot, agreed to answer some questions. Read on to see what floats Ira's boat (hummus! Rush! drinks with umbrellas!), and then trek up to the 8x10 in Baltimore for one killer live show (with Sea Wolf). Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

Touring is: Fun because it's like running off with the circus but also totally sucks because you can't get in bed at night with your girlfriend. Someone else's girlfriend maybe. Giggity giggity.

Our first gig together was: The Cooler in NYC, early 1995. It was like the Big Bang of rock, an explosion of rock with such epic force that it created the Nada Surf-themed universe we all know and love today.

Our favorite venue to play is: Any place with a balcony and velvet curtains. I won't name names.

Hygiene on a tour is: Paramount.

Our favorite thing about touring is: All the hummus you can eat.

And the least favorite: What happens to your poop after eating all the hummus you can eat.

City with the best audiences: Drunk City. I think it's in Michigan.

Band member most likely to disappear after a gig: None of us disappear but Matthew occasionally levitates.

The tour bus/van smells like: I know you'd like me to say "ass and feet" but it in fact the van smells like coffee and tires. It'll become more "ass and feet" by the end of the tour. If Blackberries and laptops had a smell it would smell like that.

Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: Irregularly. Big issue.

What's the most unusual item on your rider? One large jar of mayonnaise. We don't use it on sandwiches or anything, we just fill the trailer with the jars and at the last show we turn the stage into a magical mayonnaise wonderland. Look out, Baltimore!

Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what are you listening to at the moment? After years of touring we've arrived at a "silent van" policy. We just sit quietly and look out the windows and text people. And sigh.

What's your favorite new watering hole that you've found while on tour? And/or the best place to cure late night cravings? Unfortunately there's not much time for watering holes. We tend to stick to the place we just played. They usually give us free drinks anyway. As for late night munchies, sometimes a bag of cheddar cheese popcorn from the gas station is all ya git.

Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour? Our manager, Ben Weber, has informed us that amusement is completely out of the question. We signed something.

Favorite tour activity (other than the gigs themselves): Sleeping.

Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or if not a particular city, which venue (if any) would you not mind seeing razed to the ground? I wish I could remember where it was but years ago we played a place so awful that our soundman suggested it should be sunk and turned into an artificial reef.

Apart from the obvious CDs, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for? Our tote bags fully rule. And you might wanna pick up some "The Weight is A Gift" paperweights which, not surprisingly, make great gifts.

Favorite Nada Surf song? What's the one that goes... uhm... OK wait... it starts with the guitar...chunga chunga chunga and then he says "Wash-and-wearable TVs" or something like that. I like that one. "Inside of Lunch" I think it's called.

What about songs those other folks have written? Which song do you wish was in the Nada Surf catalog? "Daisy Glaze" by Big Star. Or anything by Rush.

Any pre-gig (or post-gig) rituals? Is screaming obscenities a ritual or a habit? Maybe it's Tourettes. Tour Tourettes.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Never answer questionnaires. Someday I'll learn.

What're you reading these days? Boing Boing, Sam Harris, Cormac McCarthy, Chris Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Ikea, West Elm, and Victoria's Secret catalogs.

In how many languages can you swear? I stick to English where I have a BFA in swearing.

Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? No, but I have been to the top of the Space Needle which is cooler because it spins around and you can get something to eat.

Animal, vegetable, or mineral? I don't care as long as it comes with fries.

What would you like people to be saying about Nada Surf in 50 years? "Wow, realistic pleasure android, these Nada Surf records sound awesome on my U2 Edition iBrain Nano."

If we weren't in Nada Surf, we'd be: Matthew- grief counselor, Daniel- trial lawyer, me- eccentric owner of a great rock bar. Imagine Basil Fawlty but with big hair.

Please recite a line of poetry: "In starlit nights I saw you, so cruelly you kissed me, your lips a magic world, your sky all hung with jewels."

I just wrote that.

And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? Anything with an umbrella in it.

To further indulge your Nada Surf sweet tooth, head to www.nadasurf.com, and www.myspace.com/nadasurf.

© 2007 BigYawn, all rights reserved